System for sealing between combustors and turbine of gas turbine engine

ABSTRACT

A gas turbine engine includes a gas turbine and a plurality of combustors each in fluid communication with the gas turbine. The gas turbine engine includes a first seal disposed between the gas turbine and the plurality of turbine combustors. The first seal is configured to sealingly engage with the gas turbine and at least two of the plurality of turbine combustors. The gas turbine engine also includes a second seal disposed between the gas turbine and the plurality of turbine combustors. The second seal is configured to sealingly engage with the gas turbine and at least two of the plurality of turbine combustors.

BACKGROUND

The subject matter disclosed herein relates generally to seals for gasturbines. More particularly, the disclosed subject matter relates to aseal assembly between a plurality of combustors and a turbine nozzle.

Gas turbine engines typically include a compressor, a plurality ofcombustors, and a gas turbine. For example, the plurality of combustorsmay be configured in an annular arrangement around a central axis of thegas turbine engine, such that each combustor directs combustion productsthrough its respective transition piece into the gas turbine. Seals maybe disposed between the plurality of combustors and the gas turbine toseal the flow path of combustion products and reduce leakage ofcombustion products. Each transition piece of each combustor may besealed to the gas turbine separately. In other words, a separate sealmay be used to seal the flow path between each combustor and the gasturbine.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

Certain embodiments commensurate in scope with the originally claimedinvention are summarized below. These embodiments are not intended tolimit the scope of the claimed invention, but rather these embodimentsare intended only to provide a brief summary of possible forms of theinvention. Indeed, the invention may encompass a variety of forms thatmay be similar to or different from the embodiments set forth below.

A gas turbine engine includes a gas turbine and a plurality ofcombustors each in fluid communication with the gas turbine. The gasturbine engine includes a first seal disposed between the gas turbineand the plurality of turbine combustors. The first seal is configured tosealingly engage with the gas turbine and at least two of the pluralityof turbine combustors. The gas turbine engine also includes a secondseal disposed between the gas turbine and the plurality of turbinecombustors. The second seal is configured to sealingly engage with thegas turbine and at least two of the plurality of turbine combustors.

In a second embodiment, a system includes a gas turbine and a pluralityof turbine combustors. Each of the plurality of turbine combustors is influid communication with the gas turbine. Further, the system includes aseal disposed between the gas turbine and the plurality of turbinecombustors. The seal is configured to sealingly engage the gas turbineto at least two of the plurality of combustors.

In a third embodiment, a system includes a gas turbine engine thatincludes a gas turbine and a plurality of combustors disposed in anannular arrangement, such that each of the plurality of combustors is influid communication with the gas turbine. A radially outward arcuateseal is disposed between the gas turbine and the plurality of turbinecombustors. The radially outward arcuate seal is configured to bemounted to the gas turbine and to sealingly engage with the gas turbineand respective transition pieces of at least two of the plurality ofcombustors. Further, the gas turbine engine includes a radially inwardarcuate seal disposed between the gas turbine and the plurality ofturbine combustors. The radially inward arcuate seal is configured to bemounted to the gas turbine and to sealingly engage with the gas turbineand the respective transition pieces of the at least two of theplurality of turbine combustors

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the presentinvention will become better understood when the following detaileddescription is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in whichlike characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a gas turbine engine, in accordance with anembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a plurality of combustors withtransition pieces sealed to a turbine, in accordance with an embodimentof the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a seal assembly for twotransition pieces and a nozzle (e.g., a stage 1 nozzle) of the turbineof FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the seal assembly ofFIG. 3 with one transition piece;

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of the sealassembly, two transition pieces, and the nozzle of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a seal assemblybetween the transition piece and the nozzle;

FIG. 7 is a front view of an embodiment of the seal assembly fortransition pieces and a nozzle;

FIG. 8 is a front view of an embodiment of the seal assembly fortransition pieces and a nozzle; and

FIG. 9 is a front view of an embodiment of the seal assembly for thetransition pieces and a nozzle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

One or more specific embodiments of the present invention will bedescribed below. In an effort to provide a concise description of theseembodiments, all features of an actual implementation may not bedescribed in the specification. It should be appreciated that in thedevelopment of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering ordesign project, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be madeto achieve the developers' specific goals, such as compliance withsystem-related and business-related constraints, which may vary from oneimplementation to another. Moreover, it should be appreciated that sucha development effort might be complex and time consuming, but wouldnevertheless be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, andmanufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefit of thisdisclosure.

When introducing elements of various embodiments of the presentinvention, the articles “a,” “an,” “the,” and “said” are intended tomean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms “comprising,”“including,” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean thatthere may be additional elements other than the listed elements.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed toward a sealassembly for sealingly engaging with a plurality of gas turbinetransition pieces (e.g., downstream portions of turbine combustors) anda nozzle of a turbine. For example, the disclosed embodiments include aseal assembly that may include a radially outer arcuate seal and aradially inner arcuate seal that each sealingly engages with multipletransition pieces and the nozzle of the turbine, along with a side sealdisposed circumferentially between two transition pieces. By sealinglyengaging multiple transition pieces with the seal assembly (e.g., theradially outer arcuate seal and radially inner arcuate seal each engagemultiple transition pieces), leakage of fluid between the plurality ofcombustors and the nozzle of the turbine may be reduced relative tosystems having separate seals for each transition piece. Additionally,the seal assembly discussed above may reduce the number of seal assemblycomponents, thereby reducing costs associated with constructing the sealassembly.

Turning now to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of anembodiment of a gas turbine system 10. The diagram includes a compressor12, turbine combustors 14, and a turbine 16. The turbine combustors 14include fuel nozzles 18 which route a liquid fuel and/or gas fuel 19,such as natural gas or syngas, into the turbine combustors 14.

The turbine combustors 14 ignite and combust an air-fuel mixture, andthen pass hot pressurized combustion gases 24 (e.g., combustionproducts) through transition pieces 25 into the turbine 16. Thetransition pieces 25 may be sealed to a portion of the turbine 16 viaone or more seal assemblies 26. As discussed below, the seal assemblies26 may be shared across multiple transition pieces 25 to provideimproved sealing. Turbine blades are coupled to a shaft 27, which isalso coupled to several other components throughout the turbine system10. As the combustion gases 24 pass through the turbine blades in theturbine 16, the turbine 16 is driven into rotation, which causes theshaft 27 to rotate. In other words, the turbine blades extract work fromthe combustion gases. Eventually, the combustion gases 24 exit theturbine system 10 via an exhaust outlet 28 as exhaust gas 29. Further,the shaft 27 may be coupled to a load 30, which is powered via rotationof the shaft 27. For example, the load 30 may be any suitable devicethat may generate power via the rotational output of the turbine system10, such as a power generation plant or an external mechanical load. Forinstance, the load 30 may include an electrical generator, a propellerof an airplane, and so forth.

In an embodiment of the gas turbine system 10, compressor blades areincluded as components of the compressor 12. The blades within thecompressor 12 are coupled to the shaft 27, and will rotate as the shaft27 is driven to rotate by the turbine 16, as described above. Therotation of the blades within the compressor 12 causes compression ofair 31 from an air intake 32, thereby generating compressed air 33. Thecompressed air 33 is then fed into the fuel nozzles 18 of the combustors14. The fuel nozzles 18 mix the compressed air 33 and fuel 19 to producea mixture 34 with a suitable mixture ratio for combustion (e.g., acombustion that causes the fuel to more completely burn) so as not towaste fuel or cause excess emissions.

FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of the plurality of combustors 14 andthe turbine 16. Specifically, the combustors 14 are configured in anannular arrangement and have the transition pieces 25 disposed betweeneach respective combustor 14 and the turbine 16, such that thetransition pieces 25 are sealed to the turbine 16. It should be notedthat each transition piece 25 may or may not be considered a part of itsrespective combustor 14. Thus, any reference to geometry and/orengagements associated with one or more of the transition pieces 25 maybe construed, in another embodiment, to be an actual part (e.g., adownstream combustor portion) of the respective combustor(s) 14. Thetransition pieces 25 illustrated in the present embodiment may beconfigured to receive and direct combustion products exiting thecombustors 14 toward a nozzle 46 (e.g., a stage one nozzle) of theturbine 16. As mentioned above, the turbine 16 extracts work from thecombustion products (e.g., combustion gases 24) by directing thecombustion products across and between turbine blades of the turbine 16,thereby forcing rotation of the shaft 27. The shaft provides power(e.g., rotational power) to the compressor 12 and the load 30, aspreviously discussed. The seal assemblies 26 between the transitionpieces 25 and the turbine 16 block combustion products from escaping thegas turbine system 10. The seal assemblies 26 are generally disposedbetween the transition pieces 25 and the turbine 16 (e.g., the nozzle 46of the turbine 16) in an annular arrangement. Further, as discussedbelow, the seal assemblies 26 of the present embodiment may sealinglyengage with at least a portion of two or more (e.g., 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, ormore) transition pieces 25. For example, a radially outer seal of theseal assembly 26 may create a sealing interface between two or more(e.g., 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or more) transition pieces 25 and an outerdiameter 49 of the nozzle 46 of the turbine 16. Likewise, a radiallyinner seal of the seal assembly 26 may create a sealing interfacebetween two or more (e.g., 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or more) transition pieces 25and an inner diameter 50 of the nozzle 46 of the turbine 16. Theradially outer and radially inner seals, for example, may be fingerseals. The disclosed seal assemblies 26 (e.g., shared among multipletransition pieces 25) may have an improved effectiveness (e.g., mayenable improved reduction in leakage of combustion products), andtherefore may improve the efficiency of the gas turbine system 10.

Perspective views of an embodiment of the seal assembly 26 areillustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4. Specifically, FIG. 3 shows the sealassembly 26 disposed between multiple transition pieces 25 and a portionof the nozzle 46 (e.g., stage one nozzle) of the turbine 16. Forclarity, FIG. 4 illustrates the seal assembly 26 of FIG. 3 without theturbine 16 and with only one transition piece 25, such that the sealassembly 26 is clearly shown. In these illustrated embodiments, the sealassembly 26 comprises a radially outer arcuate seal 57 (herein referredto as “outer seal 57”) including an angled leg 58 and a vertical leg 59,a radially inner arcuate seal 60 (herein referred to as “inner seal60”), and a plurality of side seals 62. As previously described, theouter seal 57 and/or the inner seal 60 may be finger seals. For example,the outer seal 57 and the inner seal 60 may each be made up of multiplefingers 61 that are configured to be able to flex independently of oneanother. The multiple fingers 61 may enable the outer seal 57 and/orinner seal 60 to curve circumferentially along two or more transitionpieces 25, as described in detail below, as well as accommodate axialand radial movement of the nozzle 46 to the transition pieces 25. Inanother embodiment, the outer seal 57 and the inner seal 60 may becontinuous. In other words, the outer seal 57 and the inner seal 60 mayeach extend circumferentially about two or more transition pieces 25,each as a single, continuous component (e.g., with no fingers 61).

Focusing on FIG. 3, the inner seal 60 and outer seal 57 include multiplefingers 61. For example, in certain embodiments, the angled leg 58 ofthe outer seal 57 includes multiple fingers 61 and the vertical leg 59is continuous. The fingers 61 of the angled leg 58 may enable the outerseal 57 to curve annularly over the transition pieces 25. The fingers 61may also enhance the seal of the outer seal 57. A similar arrangementmay be included for the inner seal 60. In another embodiment, the innerseal 60 and outer seal 57 may be continuous as they extendcircumferentially over the transition pieces 25 (e.g., without fingers61). In either configuration, the inner seal 60 is secured to the nozzle46 of the turbine 16 via inner bolts 64, such that the inner seal 60 issealingly engaged with the nozzle 46. Similarly, the outer seal 57 isbolted to the nozzle 46 of the turbine 16 via outer bolts 65, such thatthe outer seal 57 is sealingly engaged with the nozzle 46. It should benoted that the illustrated direction of the inner bolts 64 and the outerbolts 65, and the orientation of the accompanying surfaces being boltedtogether, are merely meant as representations of one embodiment of thepresent disclosure. For example, in another embodiment, the outer seal57 may wrap around the nozzle 46 and radially inward, and the outerbolts 65 may mount the outer seal 57 to the nozzle 46 by pointing towardthe transition pieces 25 (e.g., oriented in the same direction as innerbolts 64 in the illustrated embodiment). The presently illustrated innerand outer bolts 64, 65 are intended to illustrate an embodiment of howthe inner and outer seals 60, 57 may be mounted to the nozzle 46 of theturbine 16. It should be appreciated that any variation of the presentlyillustrated bolts 64, 65 used to mount the transition pieces 25 and thenozzle 46 would not be considered as materially departing from thepresent disclosure to one of ordinary skill in the art. Additionally,the inner seal 60 and/or the outer seal 57 may be secured to the nozzle46 of the turbine 16 in some other manner. For example, the inner seal60 and/or the outer seal 57 may be secured to the nozzle 46 by weldingor brazing, by coupling each respective seal 57, 60 to the nozzle 46 viaclips, or by utilizing a pressure drop across the seal assemblygenerated by combustion products flowing from the combustors 14 to thenozzle 46. In other words, the pressure drop may press elements of theseal assembly 26 (e.g., the outer seal 57, the inner seal 60, and/or theside seal 62) into a sealing engagement with the transition piece(s) 25and the nozzle 46, as described in detail below, which may assist insecuring the elements of the seal assembly 26 to the nozzle 46.

The inner seal 60 is disposed downstream the transition pieces 25 andupstream the nozzle 46 with respect to flow of the combustion productsfrom the combustors 14. The inner seal 60 may be a U-shaped profile,where the U-shaped profile extends along a curved path over two or moretransition pieces 25. The U-shaped profile of the inner seal 60 includesa first leg 66 and a second leg 67. The first leg 66 in the illustratedembodiment includes an outer surface 68. The outer surface 68 of thefirst leg 66 contacts the inside of multiple transition pieces 25, asillustrated in the present embodiment. Further, the outer surface 68 ofthe first leg 66 of the inner seal 60 may contact the inside of a bottomportion 69 of one or more of the side seals 62, and the bottom portion69 of each side seal 62 is disposed opposite a shimmed portion 70 (e.g.,top portion) of each side seal 62, and the side seal 62 is disposed inslots 71 of the transition pieces 25, as described below.

The inner seal 60 with the U-shaped profile may include the second leg67 configured in a sealing engagement with a portion of the nozzle 46,which will be described in detail below with reference to later figures.The inner seal 60 with the first leg 66 and the second leg 67 may beconfigured to be in compression during rest (e.g., between thetransition pieces 25 and the nozzle 46), such that a base portion 72 ofthe inner seal 60 experiences a compressive force. In other words, theinner seal 60 includes a U-shaped profile made up of the first leg 66,the second leg 67, and the base portion 72, and the base portion 72experiences a compressive force while the first leg 66 and second leg 67are forced inwardly toward each other. As such, the inner seal 60remains in a sealing engagement with the transition pieces 25 and thenozzle 46 when combustion products and/or thermal expansion forces thenozzle 46 away from the transition pieces 25 (e.g., a portion of thecompressive force within the base portion 72 of the U-shaped inner seal60 is released such that the first leg 66 and the second leg 67 of theinner seal 60 flex outwardly and maintain a sealing contact with thetransition pieces 25 and the nozzle 46 of the turbine 16, as describedabove). Additionally, the transition pieces 25 of the present embodimentmay include slots 71 configured to receive the side seals 62 of the sealassembly 26. In other words, the side seals 62 may fit between twoadjacent transition pieces 25 and into the slots 71 of the twotransition pieces 25. The side seals 62 may be pressed against the slots71 when combustion products pass through the transition pieces 25, suchthat the side seals 62 seal the area between the transition pieces 25.Further, a portion of the outer seal 57 (e.g., the angled leg 58) mayfit into a portion of the transition pieces 25 to seal the transitionpieces 25 to the outer diameter 49 of the turbine 16. The engagement ofthe outer seal 57 with the transition pieces 25 is discussed in detailbelow with reference to FIG. 4.

Focusing on FIG. 4, the outer seal 57 includes the angled leg 58 and thevertical leg 59. The angled leg 58 and the vertical leg 59 may make up aU-shaped profile, similar to the U-shaped profile of the inner seal 60,where the U-shaped profile of the outer seal 57 extends annularly overtwo or more transition pieces 25. In the illustrated embodiment, theU-shaped profile of the outer seal 57 includes the angled leg 58 and thevertical leg 59. In another embodiment, the vertical leg 59 may not bevertical. In other words, the vertical leg 59 may be vertical or angled,and generally conforms to the angle used to seal the vertical leg 59 toa surface of the nozzle 46, as described in detail below.

Continuing with the illustrated embodiment, each side seal 62 of thepresent embodiment has a bottom portion 69 disposed over the outersurface 68 of the inner seal 60, such that the inner seal 60 is incontact with transition piece 25, as previously described, as well asthe bottom portion 69 of the side seals 62. In the present embodiment,the side seals 62 also include the radially outer shimmed portions 70disposed under a bottom surface 73 of an angled leg 58 of the outer seal57. Further, the shimmed portion 70 of the side seal 62 may be disposedinto a grooved portion 76 of each of the two transition pieces 25 (laterdescribed with reference to FIG. 6). The grooved portion 76 is angledunderneath the shimmed portion 70 of the side seal 62 such that theshimmed portion 70 may be under the bottom surface 73 of the angled leg58 of the outer seal 57 and over the grooved portion 76 of each of thetwo transition pieces 25 (e.g., sandwiched between the outer seal 57 andthe transition pieces 25). Likewise, the angled leg 58 of the outer seal57 may fit into the grooved portion 76 of each transition piece 25, suchthat the outer seal 57 of the seal assembly 26 also contacts the groovedportion 76 of the transition pieces 25 to complete the seal. Theengagement between the transition pieces 25 and the outer seal 57 isfurther described below.

FIG. 5 shows an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of the sealassembly 26 to further illustrate the contact surfaces of the variousseal assembly 26 members (e.g., side seals 62, outer seals 57, and innerseals 60) and components to be sealed (e.g., transition pieces 25 andnozzle 46 of the turbine 16). The side seals 62, as previouslydescribed, have the shimmed portions 70 that fit underneath the angledleg 58 of the outer seal 57, such that the shimmed portions 70 of theside seals 62 contact the bottom surface 73 of the angled leg 58 of theouter seal 57. The side seals 62 also fit into the slots 71 of theiradjacent transition pieces 25 (e.g., the two transition pieces 25contacted by the side seals 62). As a result, combustion products forceor bias the side seals 62 against the slots 71 of the adjacenttransition pieces 25 as the combustion products flow through thetransition pieces 25 and into the nozzle 46 of the turbine 16. Further,the outer seal 57 fits into the grooved portion 76 of each adjacenttransition piece 25. As such, the shimmed portion 70 of the side seal 62in the present embodiment fits under the bottom surface 73 of the angledleg 58 of the outer seal 57, as previously discussed, and above anangled surface 78 of the grooved portion 76 of the adjacent transitionpieces 25. Thus, the angled leg 58 of the outer seal 57 also fits intothe grooved portion 76 of each transition piece 25 (e.g., two or moretransition pieces 25) at an angle. Accordingly, a pressure differencefrom combustion products passing through the transition pieces 25 intothe turbine 16 seals the gaps between the transition pieces 25 via theside seals 62 as previously discussed and may also push the nozzle 46away from the transition pieces 25, causing the bottom surface 73 of theangled leg 58 of the outer seal 57 to contact and sealing engage withthe angled surface 78 of the transition piece 25. Additionally, theinner seal 60 remains sealingly engaged with the transition pieces 25and the nozzle 46 of the turbine 16 as previously described.

The angled surface 78 of the grooved portion 76 of each transition piece25 may be oriented substantially parallel to the angle of the angled leg58 of the outer seal 57 sealingly engaged with the grooved portion 76 ofthe transition pieces 25, or the angles may be different. Further, theangles may be selected such that the force generating the sealingengagement between the surfaces is enhanced, and the angled surface 78of the transition piece 25 may be at an acute angle relative to acentral axis 79 of the turbine 16 (See FIG. 6). The acute angle, forexample, may be approximately a 45 degree angle relative to the centralaxis 79 of the turbine 16. The angle may also be in the range ofapproximately 0 to approximately 90 degrees, 20 to 70 degrees, 30 to 50degrees, or any sub range therebetween.

Turning to FIG. 6, a cross sectional view of an embodiment of the sealassembly 26 is illustrated. As previously discussed, the grooved portion76 of each transition piece 25 is configured to receive the angled leg58 of the outer seal 57. The bottom surface 73 of the angled leg 58contacts the angled surface 78 of the grooved portion 76 of eachtransition piece 25 to generate a sealing engagement. Thermal expansionand pressure differences that may result from combustion productspassing through the transition pieces 25 to the turbine 16 may force thenozzle 46 away from the transition pieces 25. Because the outer seal 57itself may be bolted to the nozzle 46 via the outer bolts 65, the outerseal 57 may be forced in a direction 80 away from the transition pieces25 along with the nozzle 46. As the nozzle 46 and the outer seal 57 areforced away from the transition pieces 25, the force of the bottomsurface 73 of the angled leg 58 of the outer seal 57 against the angledsurface 78 of the grooved portion 76 of the transition pieces 25 mayincrease, causing the outer seal 57 to remain in a sealing engagementwith the transition pieces 25. Additionally, the outer seal 57 remainsin a sealing engagement with the nozzle 46 via contact of an upwardsseal surface 81 of the vertical leg 59 of the outer seal 57, directedapproximately in direction 82, with a flange surface 83 of the nozzle46. When the force between the bottom surface 73 of the angled leg 58 ofthe outer seal 57 and the angled surface 78 of the grooved portion 76 ofthe transition pieces 25 increases as described above, the force exertedby the upwards seal surface 81 of the vertical leg 59 of the outer seal57 on the flange surface 83 of the nozzle 46 may also increase. As such,movement of the nozzle 46 away from the transition pieces 25 (e.g., dueto combustion products traveling in direction 80) may increase theforces (and, thus, enhance the seal) experienced between contactsurfaces of the transition pieces 25 and the outer seal 57 and the outerseal 57 and the nozzle 46.

Additionally, the inner seal 60 may be mounted the nozzle 46 via theinner bolts 64, as shown in the illustrated embodiment. The inner seal60, as previously discussed, may be disposed between the nozzle 46 andthe transition pieces 25 such that the proximity of the nozzle 46 andthe transition pieces 25 compresses the inner seal 60 inward (e.g.,approximately in direction 80, or axially). The compression may generatea force that causes the outer surface 68 of the first leg 66 of theinner seal 60 to sealingly engage with a contact surface 86 of eachtransition piece 25, as previously described.

It should be noted that the side seals 62 in the illustrated embodimentmay assist in sealing gaps between each transition piece 25, aspreviously discussed, as well as gaps near the top and bottom of eachtransition piece 25 adjacent to the outer seals 57 and inner seals 60(e.g., the area between the two transition pieces 25 and adjacent to theouter seal 57 and the area between the two transition pieces 25 andadjacent to the inner seal 60). For example, the shimmed portion 70 ofthe side seal 62 may fit under the bottom surface 73 of the angled leg58 of the outer seal 57 and above the angled surface 78 of the groovedportion 76 of each transition piece 25. The transition pieces 25 mayeach have a top indented recess 84 for the shimmed portion 70 of theside seal 62 to fit into (e.g., the top indented recess 84 of eachtransition piece 25 may be located above the slot 71 of the transitionpiece 25). As such, the bottom surface 73 of the angled leg 58 of theouter seal 57 may contact the shimmed portion 70 of the side seal 62without being elevated above the angled surface 78 of the groovedportion 76 of each transition piece 25. Thus, the outer seal 57 may besealingly engaged with both the side seal 62 and the grooved portion 76of each transition piece 25. Additionally, the bottom portion 69 of theside seal 62 may fit into a bottom indented recess 84 in a similarmanner as described above, such that the inner seal 60 may contact thebottom portion 69 of the side seal 62 without being elevated away fromthe contact surface 86 of the transition piece 25. Thus, the inner seal60 may be sealingly engaged with both the side seal 62 and the contactsurface 86 of each transition piece 25 as described above.

FIGS. 7-9 illustrate axial views (i.e., planes at axial positions) ofembodiments of the seal assembly 26. In FIG. 7, the outer seal 57 andthe inner seal 60 each engage with the substantially the full length oftwo adjacent transition pieces 25, as indicated by arrows 90. Such anarrangement may be utilized to seal the entire annular arrangement ofcombustors 14 to the turbine 16 by using additional outer seals 57,inner seals 60, and side seals 62. However, it should be noted that FIG.7 is merely a representation of one possible arrangement for sealing thetransition pieces 25 of the combustors 14 to the turbine 16. It shouldbe appreciated that the inner seal 60 and outer seal 57 may span morethan two transition pieces 25, such that fewer inner seals 60 and outerseals 57 may be needed to cover the entire annular arrangement. Forexample, the inner seal 60 and outer seal 57 may span 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7,8, 9, 10, or more transition pieces 25. As such, the number of gapsbetween seal assembly 26 members for the entire annual arrangement maybe reduced. Further, FIG. 8 illustrates an embodiment in which the innerseal 60 and outer seal 57 are staggered, as indicated by arrows 92. Inother words, the inner seal 60 and the outer seal 57 may be offset suchthat the inner seals 57 and outer seals 60 do not necessarily begin andend on the same transition piece 25 or the same side of the sametransition piece 25 as each other. Further still, the inner seal 60and/or outer seal 57 may not begin and/or end on a side of thetransition piece 25 at all, such as is illustrated in an embodiment inFIG. 9. For example, the inner seals 60 and/or outer seals 57 may beginand/or end in the middle, or some other portion, of a transition piece25, as indicated by arrows 94. It should be noted that the embodimentsillustrated in FIGS. 7-9 are meant merely as representations of possibleimplementations of the present disclosure. It should be appreciated thatany combination of the above referenced variations or the utilization ofa similar variation would not be considered as materially departing fromthe general disclosure by a person of ordinary skill in the art.

In summation, embodiments of the present disclosure are directed towardthe seal assembly 26 for sealingly engaging with multiple gas turbinetransition pieces 25 (e.g., transition pieces 25 downstream combustors14) and the nozzle 46 of the turbine 16 (e.g., a stage 1 nozzle). Thedisclosed embodiments include the seal assembly 26 that may include theradially outer arcuate seal 57 and the radially inner arcuate seal 60that each sealingly engage with multiple transition pieces 25 and thenozzle 46 of the turbine 16. In addition, the side seal 62 may bedisposed circumferentially between two transition pieces 25. Theradially inner and the radially outer seals 60, 57 may each span anumber of transition pieces 25 to reduce the number of gaps betweencomponents of the seal assembly 26 and, thus, reduce leakage ofcombustion products as the combustion products flow from the combustors14 to the turbine 16. The radially outer and radially inner seals 57, 60of the seal assembly 26 may span two, three, four, or more transitionpieces 25. As such, multiple seal assemblies 46 may be used to seal anentire arcuate arrangement of combustors 14 and respective transitionpieces 25 (e.g., twelve combustors 14 and respective transition pieces25 in a circumferential arrangement) to the nozzle 46 of the turbine 16.

This written description uses examples to disclose the invention,including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in theart to practice the invention, including making and using any devices orsystems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope ofthe invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examplesthat occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intendedto be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elementsthat do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if theyinclude equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differencesfrom the literal language of the claims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A gas turbine engine, comprising: a gasturbine; a plurality of combustors circumferentially arranged about acentral axis of the gas turbine engine, wherein each combustor of theplurality of combustors is in fluid communication with the gas turbine,and wherein each combustor comprises a radially outer arcuate lengthextending circumferentially about the central axis and a radially innerarcuate length opposite to the radially outer arcuate length andextending circumferentially about the central axis; a first sealdisposed between the gas turbine and the plurality of combustors,wherein the first seal is configured to sealingly engage with the gasturbine and at least two combustors of the plurality of combustors; anda second seal disposed between the gas turbine and the plurality ofcombustors, wherein the second seal is configured to sealingly engagewith the gas turbine and the at least two combustors of the plurality ofcombustors; wherein the first seal comprises a first arcuate lengthextending circumferentially about the central axis, wherein the secondseal comprises a second arcuate length extending circumferentially aboutthe central axis, wherein the first arcuate length is greater than theradially outer arcuate length, and wherein the second arcuate length isgreater than the radially inner arcuate length; wherein the first sealis a radially outer seal, and the second seal is a radially inner seal;and wherein the first seal is mounted on the gas turbine and configuredto sealingly engage with a first sealing interface surface of the atleast two combustors of the plurality of combustors, the second seal ismounted on the gas turbine and configured to sealingly engage with asecond sealing interface surface of the at least two combustors of theplurality of combustors, the first sealing interface surface is anupstream facing surface, and the second sealing interface surface is adownstream facing surface.
 2. The gas turbine engine of claim 1, whereinthe first seal and the second seal are each mounted to a first stagenozzle of the gas turbine.
 3. The gas turbine engine of claim 1,comprising a side seal disposed circumferentially between two combustorsof the at least two combustors and extending between the first seal andthe second seal, wherein the side seal is configured to overlap with thefirst seal and the second seal along a radial direction relative to thecentral axis, and wherein the side seal is configured to sealinglyengage with the first seal and the second seal.
 4. The gas turbineengine of claim 3, wherein the side seal is configured to engage with adownstream facing surface of the first seal and with an upstream facingsurface of the second seal.
 5. The gas turbine engine of claim 1,wherein the first sealing interface surface is disposed at an acuteangle within a range of 20 to 70 degrees relative to the central axis ofthe gas turbine.
 6. The gas turbine engine of claim 1, wherein the firstarcuate length is at least one and a half times greater than theradially outer arcuate length, and wherein the second arcuate length isat least one and a half times greater than the radially inner arcuatelength.
 7. The gas turbine engine of claim 1, wherein each combustor ofthe plurality of combustors comprises a corresponding transition piece,and wherein the first seal and the second seal being configured toengage with the at least two combustors of the plurality of combustorscomprises the first seal and the second seal being configured to engagewith at least two corresponding transition pieces of the plurality ofcombustors.
 8. A system, comprising: a gas turbine; a plurality ofturbine combustors disposed in a circumferential arrangement, whereineach turbine combustor of the plurality of turbine combustors is influid communication with the gas turbine, and wherein each turbinecombustor of the plurality of turbine combustors comprises a radiallyouter arcuate length extending along the circumferential arrangement;and a seal disposed between the gas turbine and the plurality of turbinecombustors, wherein the seal is configured to sealingly engage with thegas turbine and at least two turbine combustors of the plurality ofturbine combustors, wherein the seal comprises an arcuate lengthextending along the circumferential arrangement, and wherein the arcuatelength is greater than the radially outer arcuate length; and whereineach turbine combustor of the plurality of turbine combustors comprisesa sealing interface surface configured to engage with the seal, whereinthe sealing interface surface is disposed at an acute angle within arange of 20 and 70 degrees relative to a central axis of the gasturbine.
 9. The system of claim 8, comprising a side seal separate fromthe plurality of turbine combustors and disposed circumferentiallybetween two turbine combustors of the at least two turbine combustors,wherein the side seal is configured to overlap with the seal in a radialdirection relative to a central axis of the circumferential arrangementto sealingly engage with the seal.
 10. The system of claim 8, whereinthe seal is mounted to a first stage nozzle of the gas turbine.
 11. Thesystem of claim 8, wherein the seal comprises a radially outward arcuateseal and a radially inward arcuate seal, wherein the radially outwardarcuate seal comprises the arcuate length and is configured to sealinglyengage with the gas turbine and respective transition pieces of the atleast two turbine combustors of the plurality of turbine combustors, andthe radially inward arcuate seal is configured to sealingly engage withthe gas turbine and respective transition pieces of the at least twoturbine combustors of the plurality of turbine combustors.
 12. Thesystem of claim 11, wherein the radially outward arcuate seal is mountedto the gas turbine and configured to sealingly engage with a firstsealing interface surface of the at least two turbine combustors of theplurality of turbine combustors, wherein the radially inward arcuateseal is mounted to the gas turbine and configured to sealingly engagewith a second sealing interface surface of the at least two turbinecombustors of the plurality of turbine combustors, wherein the firstsealing interface surface is an upstream facing surface, and wherein thesecond sealing interface is a downstream facing surface.
 13. A system,comprising: a gas turbine engine, comprising: a gas turbine; a pluralityof turbine combustors disposed in circumferential arrangement about acentral axis of the gas turbine engine, wherein each turbine combustorof the plurality of turbine combustors is in fluid communication withthe gas turbine; a radially outward arcuate seal disposed between thegas turbine and the plurality of turbine combustors, wherein theradially outward arcuate seal is configured to sealingly engage withrespective transition pieces of at least two turbine combustors of theplurality of turbine combustors, and wherein the radially outwardarcuate seal is mounted to the gas turbine; and a radially inwardarcuate seal disposed between the gas turbine and the plurality ofturbine combustors, wherein the radially inward arcuate seal isconfigured to sealingly engage with the respective transition pieces ofthe at least two turbine combustors of the plurality of turbinecombustors, and wherein the radially inward arcuate seal is mounted tothe gas turbine; and a side seal separate from the plurality of turbinecombustors and the respective transition pieces thereof, and disposedcircumferentially between the respective transition pieces of twoturbine combustors of the at least two turbine combustors, wherein theside seal is configured to overlap with the radially outward arcuateseal and with the radially inward arcuate seal along a radial directionrelative to the central axis of the gas turbine to sealingly engage withthe radially outward arcuate seal and the radially inward arcuate seal;wherein the radially outward arcuate seal comprises a first arcuatelength extending about the central axis, wherein the radially inwardarcuate seal comprises a second arcuate length extending about thecentral axis, wherein each respective transition piece comprises aradially outer arcuate length extending circumferentially about thecentral axis, wherein each respective transition piece comprises aradially inner arcuate length opposite to the radially outer arcuatelength and extending circumferentially about the central axis, whereinthe first arcuate length is greater than the radially outer arcuatelength, and wherein the second arcuate length is greater than theradially inner arcuate length.
 14. The system of claim 13, wherein theradially outward arcuate seal is configured to engage with a firstsealing interface surface of each of the respective transition pieces ofthe at least two turbine combustors, the radially inward arcuate seal isconfigured to engage with a second sealing interface surface of each ofthe respective transition pieces of the at least two turbine combustors,the first sealing interface surface is disposed at an acute angle withina range of 20 to 70 degrees relative to the central axis of the gasturbine, and the second sealing interface surface is perpendicularrelative to the central axis of the gas turbine.
 15. The system of claim13, wherein the side seal is configured to sealingly engage with adownstream facing surface of the radially outward arcuate seal, andwherein the side seal is configured to sealingly engage with an upstreamfacing surface of the radially inward arcuate seal.